A Different Worldveiw
by Neko Neko Rachie
Summary: After his cousin Annabeth ran off in the middle of some well-deserved falafel, Magnus Chase is discouraged. With some suspicious activity from Loki, along with dreams Magnus doesn't want to remember, he decides he needs to find Annabeth and keep her safe. However, when he finds her, he learns more than he really wants to know...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One** **  
I almost Die... Again**

I believe the time when my day turned to shit was when I saw the lion in Central Park.

I know what you're thinking, _Oh, Magnus, wouldn't anyone have noticed a lion walking around Central Park?_

The answer is no. A big, huge, blood-slicked no.

I'd been mulling around in Midgard- Manhattan to be more precise- mostly looking for Annabeth.

See, we'd gone for Falafel after I'd stopped Doomsday, and I was going to tell her what had happened. She'd suddenly stood up, said that she had to go, and ran down the hall.

The first time I'd gotten ditched by a girl, and it was my cousin.

Ugh.

Anyways, I'd been able to tell from her area code that she lived in New York. I'd also asked my talking sword Jack to help me.

Was he helping?

Well, he was loudly singing the opening song to _The Lion King_ at the sight of the lion, so- No.

Now, I've seen lions. But this one... Odin's Left Eye, it was horrifying.

The beast was so much bigger now that I'd gotten closer. It had shimmering golden fur, and huge teeth- perfect for a demigod-sized snack!

"You can't kill him by hitting his hide." Jack said, "Even with me. The Nemian Lion's pelt is literally indestructible."

"You're so helpful..."

"Thanks, boss. 'S what I'm here for."

I debated throwing Jack across the park when screaming erupted on the other side of the clearing.

A group of teenage girls, all dressed in silver clothes, burst from the trees. Arrows, daggers and spears flew. The girl in the front stood the beast down, grinning at it.

"If 14 year old Percy Jackson can defeat you- So can I!"

The monster roared.

This girl was suicidal. If she thought that a shield and spear was enough against this thing, she was going to die.

And dying _sucks_. Believe me, I speak from experience.

"Jack," I said, "we're gonna save that girl's life."

I threw Jack towards the lion. I wasn't trying to kill it like that, just to distract it.

Jack _poing_ -ed off the hide, and flew back to my hand. The lion turned towards me with a snort, and I shrugged.

 _ROAR!_

It stormed towards me, and I side-stepped, slamming Jack off the monster's hide again.

" _OW!_ " Jack shouted, "Watch it!"

"Sorry..." I grumbled, though I was a little bit more preoccupied with watching myself.

Arrows soared through the air, glowing silver, and slammed into the monster's hide.

It was only a little bit annoyed from that.

The girl slid in beside me, "What the hell are you doing, kid?" She growled, "I was right in front of it- I could have killed it!"

"You were going against this thing with a flimsy spear and a shield- Oh, yeah, I was totally going to watch you be brutally murdered!"

She glared at me, "I'm a Lieutenant of Lady Artemis, you dweeb!"

I almost lost my footing.

"D-did you say Artemis?"

She had no time to respond as the monster leaped on me, biting at me.

I shrieked, stabbing Jack into it's mouth.

It shrieked in response, turning to brown sugar dust around me.

I caught my breath, leaning my head back onto the grass, swearing colourfully in Ancient Norse.

I sunk in the sunlight and the grass around me, letting my father's power heal my wounds. I'd been getting better at that in the past few months, especially since summer was rolling around. I promptly turned Jack back to pendant form, clicking him onto the chain.

The girl from before- the Lieutenant of Artemis- stood over me. She held out her hand, which I took. Stumbling a bit as I stood, the girl studied me.

"You look like someone I know." She said, "Her name's Annabeth."

"Annabeth Chase?" I asked, and the girl blinked.

"Yeah?"

"She's my cousin!" I said excitedly, "I've been in Manhattan looking for her, do you know where I can find her?"

The girl grinned, "Yeah. I do. She's at her boyfriend's. I'll take you there. The name's Thalia, by the way. Thalia Grace."

…

"So how do you know Annabeth?" I asked Thalia as we walked. She pronounced it like "Thalia" as in "thing". It was a cool little touch.

"When she ran away," Thalia explained, "L... Luke and I found her..." -I decided it best not to ask who Luke was- "She was so little, and so scared... We took her in. We were family." She nodded to herself, "... We're still family..."

We came upon an apartment building, and Thalia stopped, "Here's the place." She said, "I'd come in, but if she's your cousin, I'll let you go see her."

"Thanks." I said with a smile, "Oh! My name's Magnus by the way."

Thalia smiled, "I know. Annabeth never stopped talking about you when she was little."

I had no more time to answer, as a horn blared in the distance.

"I gotta go." Thalia said, shouldering her bow, "I'll see ya later."

And with that, she was off.

I nervously made my way, Jack the Pendant tugging me the right way. Eventually, we stopped in front of a door, Jack dropping back onto my collarbone.

I reached up and knocked.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

I immediately realized how homeless I was dressed- in ratty jeans and a t-shirt I'd taken from a clothes donation box upon returning to Midgard. My hair definitely needed cutting, and I was pretty dirty from sleeping in an alley last night.

The man in front of me, however, was dressed nicely in a crisp suit and tie, which he was desperately trying to fix.

I forced the words out of my mouth, "IsAnnabethhere?"

Smooth. Swag-nus Chase indeed.

"Annabeth?" The man asked, "Yeah, come on in."

I nodded, thanks.

He called for Annabeth, who came grumbling out of a hallway in sweat pants, an orange t-shirt and a bed robe. She looked near-death- and then her eyes widened.

"MAGNUS!"

She threw herself towards me, throwing her arms around me. She spluttered things like "where have you been" and "what are you doing here" along with some things in a language I didn't know.

"Good to see you, too, you butt."

She laughed softly.

"What are you doing in Manhattan?" She asked, pulling back, "I thought you were staying with some friends in Boston."

"I am." I said, "I just came looking for you. You ran off, and I couldn't take it anymore."

She leaned forward, sniffing me, "You smell like you slept in an alleyway."

I shrugged, "Yeah, I do that a lot."

"Smell bad or sleep in alleyways?"

"Both."

She smiled, "Let's get you cleaned up."

…

 **OH RACHEL YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS TO WORK ON**

 **IDFC THIS BOOK WAS BEAUTIFUL AND I HAVE EMOTIONS ABOUT IT AND THIS IS HAPPENING**

 **ALSO MULTI-CHAPTER FUN TIMES**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two** **  
My Parents Arrive**

I flopped down on the couch, now showered and clean. Annabeth sat down next to me, smiling.

"So..." She said, "You said you were going to tell me everything."

My definition of "everything" had changed over the past few months.

Those _dreams_... The cackling... Lighting- thunder- the earth itself shuddering and seeming to melt around me... Loki grinning at me... "The end is coming, kid..." He'd say, "I'd love to stick around and watch you die painfully again, but, I've got a destiny to get to..."

And then, there was the dream with my father. "Find your cousin!" He'd yell at me over the wind, "If she or anyone close to her dies, it's all over!"

"Um..." I shifted, "Yeah... About that..."

She looked at me curiously. With those startling grey eyes, she'd always looked to me like some sort of heroine out of an action movie. Now, dressed in an orange t-shirt, black athletic shorts, runners, socks and a belt around her waist, I could believe it.

"Do you believe in prophetic dreams?" I blurted.

She laughed bitterly, "If anyone believes in prophetic dreams, it's me. Why?"

"Because..."

I described my dream to her, simply describing Loki instead of saying who he was and leaving out the part of "dying again". By the end, Annabeth simply stared at me.

"Magnus..." She said softly, "If... If that's true, then..." She stood, walking down the hall. She rapped on the second door to the left, which I mentally noted, "Get up, Seaweed Brain!"

"I thought we were taking today off!" Came a disgruntled voice from inside the room.

"From school." She said, "But my cousin just showed up, and he's possibly been having dreams about the end of the world."

I heard a _thump_ , and this "Seaweed Brain" stumbled out of the room, eyes wild.

"Okay, do you really mean 'the end of the world'?" He asked, pulling a grey t-shirt over his admittedly well-toned upper-body, "Or 'possibly the end of the world, not sure'."

"The end of the world." I said. The two turned to look at me, "I'm sure of it. I don't know how, but this dream is definitely some kind of Doomsday."

Seaweed Brain frowned.

"Magnus," Annabeth said, "does this have anything to do with the 'everything' you were going to tell me?"

I nodded, "This might sound crazy, but there's magic in the world. Older than the world."

Annabeth and Seaweed Brain didn't seem very confused.

"And there are gods. From myths. They're very real, and one of them is my father."

I let that sink in. Annabeth grinned.

"What?" I asked.

"I knew it."

"E-excuse me?"

"My mom said there was something about our family that the gods liked- but Magnus." She grinned wider, "Who's your father?"

I stared at her.

Annabeth? A demigod?

"Frey..." I said.

Annabeth now looked confused, "Whom?"

"Frey." I said, "You know, the god of summer, fertility, peace and occasionally the entire Swedish royal family."

Annabeth stared at me, and whispered, "First Romans, then Egyptians, now this...?" She looked up at me and asked, "What mythology is he from?"

It all fell into place.

 _Romans. Egyptians. Artemis._

I took a breath. This was new, "He's a Norse god." I said, "He really likes Sweden for some reason, and their royal family are descendants of him."

Annabeth said something in another language I was sure was a curse.

"What?" I asked, now very confused.

"If your dreams are right," Annabeth said, "than the whole world is in danger. We need to get to Camp as fast as we can."

"Camp?" I asked. As someone who'd lived on the streets for two years, and then Valhalla where I got the glory of dying in combat every day, going somewhere random with my cousin who I hadn't seen in 10 years was not safe.

However, the knock on the door saved me.

Annabeth and Seaweed Brain turned towards the door, and Seaweed Brain pulled it open.

There was a flash, and he collapsed.

In a blur, Annabeth had a knife in her hand, and lunged.

"STOP!" I shrieked, because I'd seen who had knocked her boyfriend out.

"Hey, kid." Blitz said, "You're alive! That's good!"

 _Sorry!_ Hearth signed frantically, _I didn't know who he was!_

"What are you guys doing here?" I demanded.

"Who are they?" Annabeth demanded. She'd gone full battle-mode- slightly crouched, knife in hand, eyes blazing.

"My friends." I said, then turned to Blitz and Hearth, my expression clearly demanding an answer.

"We followed you." Blitz said bluntly, "Orders from above."

"Above?" I demanded, "Why?"

 _All-Father wanted you checked on. Didn't want you dead again._ Hearth shrugged.

"Okay..." I said slowly.

Annabeth had sheathed her knife, and moved to my side. She nudged Seaweed Brain with her foot, and looked up at Hearth, "What did you do!?"

It seemed she'd spoken too fast, because Hearth, pointed to his ears.

I was impressed when Annabeth signed, _What did you do?_ , still looking angry.

 _I didn't kill him. He's unconscious. I panicked._

"As long as he's alright..." Annabeth kneeled and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"So what's this camp you were talking about?" I asked Annabeth.

"Camp Half-Blood." She replied, "It's one of the few places on Earth safe for demigods."

"Okay," I said, "and you want to bring me there to keep me safe?"

"Yeah." She said, "There are people there who can help us, and maybe interpret those dreams."

…

 **SHORT CHAPTER SORRY**

 **But yeh Hearth and Blitz!**

 **Thank you to all those who reviewed! Seriously, it means a lot.**

 **See you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three** **  
Harpies, Cyclopes's and Romans- O My!**

I sat in the back with Hearth and Blitz.

In the dying sunlight, Hearth was curled up against Blitz, who had his arm around him.

I'd never asked if they were a couple, because it would never have made a difference. They were my best friends, and I assumed I was theirs. It wouldn't have made a difference.

"So..." I said, "Where're we headed, exactly?"

Seaweed Brain- Percy, I'd learned his name was- looked up at me in the rear-view mirror, "Long Island." He said, "Camp's safe, don't worry."

"I realize that." I said, "I just wanted to be sure."

In the case that we needed to jump onto the World Tree, we needed a place where the Worlds overlap just a bit more than anywhere else. Long Island was a great place to jump if needed- I'd learned that the hard way when I'd fought what I now knew was a dracnae and threw it into Muspellheim-, so we'd be safe. Perhaps that was why Long Island had been chosen as the grounds for Camp Half-Blood.

Percy nodded at my response, and asked, "Is your friend okay?"

"Hearthstone doesn't do well in darkness." Blitz explained, "Alfheim is always light out, and Elves do very well in sunlight, but not in darkness."

"So what about you?" Annabeth asked, "Or are you human?"

"No..." Blitz grumbled, "No I'm a Svartalf. We do well in darkness, but not sunlight. We petrify."

Annabeth frowned, "And all this time, you've been looking out for Magnus, despite the fact that it put you in danger?"

We'd told her of our years on the streets, and how Hearth and Blitz had looked out for me to the point where the locals referred to them as my mom and dad.

Blitz grinned, "Yeah, I'm pretty much the best friend ever."

I laughed and punched him, and a very tired Hearth laughed silently.

…

If I was going to describe Camp Half-Blood in one word, it would be "Damn".

When the sun came up, it was so warm I could only bask in the sunlight. The grass was green and the food was great, and just...

Damn.

Of course, the topic of the world ending might have been on our shoulders, but we could enjoy that for a bit.

I flopped down in the grass the morning after we'd arrived. There wasn't a cloud in the sky- and for May on Long Island, that was pretty good. I'd always loved the sun, but I'd put it down to the fact that I live in Boston, and when we get a sunny day like this, it was like Heaven.

Now, though, I knew the difference.

"Trying to grow with the plants, there, kid?"

"Huh?"

There was a boy standing over me- no older than 14. He had ruffled black hair and two hoodies on- the one underneath brown, the one on top black with a skull-and-bones on it. He wore black jeans, and the even the sword strapped to his side was black. His eyes were dull, however, like mine, however darker. He had bags like nothing I'd ever seen and looked slightly miserable.

"No." I answered, "Not necessarily. I just like the sun."

His eyebrows shot up, "You one of Solace's siblings?"

"I'm Annabeth's cousin..." I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder awkwardly, "You might know he-"

"Oh..." He said darkly, "You're Magnus Chase."

"E-excuse me?"

"I knew I sensed an Einherji," He said once I'd finished. He didn't talk over me, which was nice, "but the dead whisper about you. They say you're suicidal. That you've already died once- why try again?"

I stared at him.

"Well, you can tell the dead to suck my-"

"Nico!" Shouted a voice, " _There_ you are!"

The kid- Nico- grumbled as a boy as blonde as my father came barreling over, whirling Nico around and looking him dead in the eye,

"Where _were_ you!? You were supposed to be at the infirmary before breakfast so I could check you up."

"Solace, really... You don't need to take care of me so mu-"

"Yes. I. Do." The blond kid- Solace- said quietly, "I've seen what depression does to people- I saw what it did to my mom. You think that I'm going to let you drop that low? I care about you, and I'm taking care of you, you limp noodle, so get over it."

I realized that Solace did not realize that I was here- nor did he realize that I had heard all of that.

I cleared my throat to make myself noticed.

Solace looked over, then titled his head, "Are you-"

"He's Annabeth's cousin." Nico said, "On the mortal side."

Solace's mouth formed a soft "o".

"Well," He said, "breakfast horn should be going, so you wanna walk with us up to the Pavilion?"

I frowned, "Yeah. Yeah sure."

When we got there, Hearth was showing a girl his rune stones. She had tan skin, like milk chocolate, her hair braided with a bright orange feather.

… _And this one lets you summon anything you want._ Hearth was signing.

 _What do you use it to summon?_ She signed, saying it out loud as she did so.

 _Snacks, mostly. I like chocolate._

She laughed, and then saw myself and the boys I'd tagged along with.

"Nico, Will!" She pulled herself to her feet, "Have you met Hearthstone? He's great!"

He waved excitedly to me, signing. _This place. Like._

He liked the place.

I grinned, sitting down next to him, "Me, too. I like all the sunlight."

He grinned back, _Thought you would. Blitz is sleeping_.

"Good." I said, "He needs it, I think."

The night before, Blitz had paced back and forth, sketched for a bit, and asked me several times if I was awake. He'd been very... Jumpy. I wasn't sure why. Had he had the same dreams?

Hearth nodded, _Yes. I think so, too._

There was a blare of a horn, and campers began to make their way to the Pavilion.

"Time for breakfast." Will said with a grin, "I suggest you sit at Table 6. That's Annabeth's."

…

 **I KNOW IT ISN'T MUCH BUT SCHOOL IS A THING**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four** **  
To run, or not to run? That is the question.**

I learned that the brown-haired girl was Piper McLean, her mom was Aphrodite and her dad was some movie star I'd never heard about.

She looked at me curiously when I said that, asking, "You've never heard of Tristan McLean?"

"No." I shrugged, "Midgard Pop-Culture isn't really my biggest issue right now."

Of course, the real reason was the whole "living on the streets" thing, but that wasn't her business. Campers were flooding the dining pavilion, and I shrieked in surprise when Annabeth grabbed my arm. If I hadn't seen the flurry of blonde hair we shared I probably would have ripped my arm from her grasp. Instead, I let her guide me to a table that was mostly empty, aside Nico, Will, Percy and a few other people.

"Wow, Annabeth." Said a blonde guy beside Percy. He had thick-framed black glasses and a scar over his lip, "Your cousin's hot."

My eyebrows shot up, "I agree with that."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, sitting down on the other side of Percy. I hovered awkwardly before sitting next to Hearth.

"So..." I muttered awkwardly.

"You smell like Underworld." Said a kid with goat horns to me, bluntly- a satyr, I assumed.

I stared at him, but thankfully Nico piped up, saying, "Well, Grover, I'm right here, so it's probably not him."

The satyr- Grover- nodded, but didn't really look convinced.

"Grover?" I asked, "What, like the grouch that lives in a trash can on Sesame Street?"

The scared blonde guy snorted into his breakfast.

"I do like soda cans..." He mumbled, looking sheepish.

(Ha. Sheepish. 'Cause he's a goat? … I'll shut up now.)

"On the topic of names," I said, "I don't know all of your names."

"Oh." The scared blond guy said, "I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

"The guys trying to sneak off to steal some shit from the camp store are Connor and Travis Stoll," Percy said, "sons of Hermes.

"Sons of Hermes, the god of thieves," I said slowly, "have the last name 'Stoll'?"

Percy stood up and pointed at Annabeth, "See!" He shouted, "It's not just me!"

She threw her hands in the air, "Alright, Seaweed Brain, you were right."

The hall went dead silent.

I would know what that sounds like, tbh.

"Did I hear that correctly?" Asked a rugged looking, brown-haired girl who had stood on the bench of a table.

If anyone here looked like a Viking, she did. Her hair was brown and dry-looking, a red bandanna tied around her head. Her eyes were brown, as well, and the sneer on her face looked like it belonged there.

"Did I just hear Annabeth Chase say that... That she was _wrong_?"

I never thought I'd say this, but Annabeth looked scary.

"Clarisse, are you really going to be 12 again?"

"Yeah, because this is a glorious day!" The girl grinned, and looked more like a happy, over-aggressive puppy than a Viking, "Now that you can admit your wrong, the ship has sailed! Seriously, get married already."

It took under a minute before the blood rushed to Percy and Annabeth's faces, and the pavilion started to cheer.

I grinned ear to ear at the sight of Annabeth embarrassed, turning to eat my irritatingly healthy breakfast in peace.

…

I couldn't sleep that night.

I was placed in the Apollo Cabin in contrast to my dad's realm of springtime and sunshine, which irritated me. I felt like I'd been pulled from a throne and placed in the servants quarters, being told that I was no longer important.

Maybe that was selfish, but my dad was so much more important than just being a god of springtime and sunshine. It made my stomach twist to be downsized.

When the sun came up, the cabin was helping me to get ready, offering me a fresh change of clothes, the works, when the ground rumbled.

I pulled Jack from my necklace, and the Apollo kids grabbed bows, arrows, knives and swords, slowly coming into the center of the Cabins, towards the hearth. The rest of Camp had come out, as well- Percy and Annabeth wild-eyed and side-by-side-. I looked back and forth, and was about to say that nothing was a problem until the ground split open.

I've seen darkness. I've traveled through the World Tree. I've fought the Fenris Wolf.

But these... These things...

I can only describe them as Angels of Death.

There were 4, all girls, looking anywhere from 12 to 24, but I knew they were older than that. They had skin like coal and wings like the blank depths of space. Their mouths were full of sharp, bloodied teeth and they almost looked like meth victims.

I could see the Valkyries circling around in the sky, and started to shake.

"Magnus Chase," One sneered, "Son of Frey, Eternal Soldier of the All-Father..." She moved towards me, grabbing me by the chin, "You died a painful, agonizing death." The thought seemed to amuse her, and the memory of that painful death prompted me to do something stupid: I rammed her straight through.

I pulled Jack free and the monster collapsed, golden blood spilling from her wound.

The demigods stared, myself included.

She started to laugh.

"FooLIsH MoRTaL!" She shouted, "YOU WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF THE KERES! WE WILL ENJOY FEASTING ON YOUR FLESH!"

And the ground exploded once more, and the 200 demigods began to fight.

It was a blur, honestly. I remember tearing through these monsters, grabbing Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Jason, Nico and Will. I remember trying to grab Hearth. I remember him shaking his head, and going back for Blitz. I remember opening a portal to the World Tree, and now, here I was, collapsed on my knees, that monster's threat still ringing in my ears.

"What... The _hell_ was that?"

"Those were the Keres." Annabeth said, "Spirits of Violent Death."

"Yay..." I muttered sarcastically, "This day just gets better and better..."

"Where are we?" Piper asked, looking around.

"The World Tree." I responded, pulling myself to my feet, "Yggdrasil. Try to follow me, Jack'll lead the way."

"Of course, _Sen_ _õ_ _r_ ," The Sword said, "To Valhalla!"

…

 **Short Chapter, but I'm running out of battery and am at school with no charger.**

 **I'm stupid shhh**

 **Also, plot!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five  
** **Squirrels are not Friends**

"Your sword can _talk_!?" Jason blurted, looking at the golden sword in his hand, as if waiting for it to say _hello_.

"You're dayumn right!" Jack said, "I can talk, I can sing, and I can even do shadow puppets!"

"You don't have hands." I said, to which the sword scoffed.

"Don't judge the sword, _Sen_ _õr_! I can and I will!"

"Jack-"

"I'm- _mmmmmmm_ \- blockin' you out!"

"Jack. Take us to Valhalla."

The sword sighed, "Alright. Follow me, brave heroes!"

As we walked, Percy seemed thoughtful.

"Aren't the Keres Thantos' sisters?" He asked.

"Yeah." Annabeth nodded, "The Greeks treated death as a natural thing that was not to be afraid of. But the Keres..." Her face darkened, "According to The Shield of Heracles, the Keres would hover over battlefields and search for the dying and wounded. They'd carry them to Tartarus-" She shivered, Percy along with her. I didn't understand why, but Piper put a hand on Annabeth's shoulder, "a-and they'd... They'd tear them to _pieces_..." She looked up at me, "But what did the one mean when she said you died an agonizing death?"

I was quiet, simply letting Jack lead the way to Valhalla. I didn't like to think about it, and I'd never really complained about it. Everyone else in Valhalla had died, too. So whom was I to complain?

But it hurt. So badly... I still had a huge scar across my chest and stomach, and under my hair, I'd discovered it after being lit on fire in a skirmish. I couldn't complain, and I would not complain.

But sometimes I'd wake up feeling my insides being burnt to nothing, and I'd see my body in that coffin again and-

I was thinking about it, and I forced myself to stop. I shot an innocent smile over my shoulder at Annabeth, "Don't worry about it." I said, turning back and mumbling, "You'll find out eventually."

There was a rumbling along the trunk of the Tree.

"SQUIRREL!" I shouted, hoping they'd get the message. The only one who understood was Nico, immediately bending the dark emptiness around us into a shield.

The Squirrel threw it's weight against the dark bubble, and Nico shrieked as he attempted to keep it up.

"DROP IT!" I shouted, "JUST RUN! DON'T LET IT GET TO YOU!"

The group listened, and we ran. Jack knew where to go, and I followed his lead. He aimed towards an opening in a large branch, through which I normally wouldn't throw myself, but I stupidly trusted my sword over my gut instinct and herded my cousin and her friends through.

I was about to jump when the squirrel caught up.

It's big, meaty hands wrapped around me and I shrieked.

 _YOU ARE NOTHING, SON OF FREY_ it screamed in my head, _YOU COULD NOT SAVE YOUR MOTHER, AND YOU COULD NOT SAVE YOURSELF. YOU THINK YOU CAN SAVE HER? ANNABETH CHASE HAS WALKED THROUGH TARTARUS, BUT SHE KNOWS NOTHING OF THE TERROR OF THE REALMS. OF RAGNAROK._

The squirrel didn't usually say things like this... Was it threatening me?

 _THE KERES WILL ENJOY FEASTING ON YOUR FLESH, AND THROWING YOU TO HELHIEM WHERE YOU BELONG._

It chucked me through the opening and into Valhalla like a rag doll, and I was unconscious upon impact.

…

When I awoke, Mallory was standing above me, clicking her tongue in irritation.

"Really, Son o' Frey, yah couldn't o' made it a bit less obvious that you were traveling with a huge group o' demigod-sized snacks, huh?"

I responded with a simple glare, throwing myself off the couch in my room. "Where's Annabeth?" I demanded.

"Yer cousin?" She asked, "She's down the hall gettin' some food with TJ. And the rest o' yer little group."

I left the room, practically running down the hall. Annabeth saw me and threw herself to her feet. She stormed up to me, and I now understood that phrase.

She was scary.

She grabbed me by the front of my shirt and slammed me into the wall, "Magnus Fredrick Chase, you'd better have an incredible explanation to how, why and when you died, you asshole, or I will stick this sword in your throat. From what I've heard, you'll regenerate here, so I'm not worried."

Her eyes were grey pools of storm cloud- ferocious and deadly. I gulped.

"Long story..." I laughed awkwardly, "See, the day you came to Boston, it was my birthday, right? So naturally I went to steal something nice to eat from Randolph's." Annabeth scoffed, but despite her anger, she smiled a little, "He took me on a death joyride," I continued, "and I got attacked by Surt, who kind of hates my dad and wants to end the worlds."

"I know that feel!" Percy called from the table. Annabeth shot him a glare and he shut up immediately.

"Anyway," I went on, "I... I tried to fight him, because I needed to make sure that no one who didn't need to got hurt. I almost got him down..." I started to shake. It was stupid, but I was scared remembering it, "We fell off the bride... He burned my organs and skin and we hit the water... I died on impact."

Annabeth's eyes were no longer scary. She dropped her sword and hugged me, crying.

"Oh _gods_ , Magnus! Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you!"

"I didn't know about your mom..." I said softly.

She was shaking, "I hate you so much, you butt."

I smiled, "You too, butt."

…

Apparently word got around fast in Valhalla, even if it was a magical hotel for the dead.

Sam threw herself into my room, demanding to meet "that girl people said I was with".

Annabeth had been reading on my couch which I thought was weird. She'd had severe dyslexia, even as a 7 year old kid. Percy was napping with his head on her legs- apparently he tuckered out easily. He didn't even snort when Sam burst into the room.

"Dude," I said, pointing to Percy.

"Who is that girl you were with?" She sounded excited, and I blinked.

"What? You mean Annabeth." I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, "She's my cousin."

Sam opened her mouth. Then she closed it.

"Oh." She said stupidly, "Well, then just forget I-"

"I have a question." I blurted, "During the battle at Camp Half-Blood, there were Valkyries there. Why?"

Sam looked at me long and hard, "The Valkyries and the Keres are not so different, Magnus." She said quietly, "We are both spirits of war, and bring the dead to the afterlife... But for every brave soul we bring to paradise in Valhalla, they bring 3 to Tartarus and devour them." She was quiet, "The Greeks never liked war..." She said quietly, "It was not as honourable to die in war as it is for us."

"That's not true." Annabeth snapped, "Many of my friends have died fighting." She threw herself to her feet, and I found that Percy had been awake for a while now, listening. Annabeth was shaking, "Silena, Bekendorf, Luke, Leo, Micheal, Ethan Nakamura, I can go on. And on, and on." She got in Sam's face and snarled, "If you tell me that they died dishonourably, that we don't cherish their lives and grieve over their deaths, then you can get the fuck out of my face."

Sam was pale, watching Annabeth as she stormed back to the couch and flopped down. Percy sat up and let her put her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry..." She whispered, "It's just so hard... You- Magnus- you and all the others here can go between here and the world of the living... Those in Elysium can't, and anyone else in the Underworld sure as hell can't..." She sniffled, "I just miss them, is all..."

Percy stroked her back, "We all do, Annie... We all do..."

"You didn't tell me any of that..." I said quietly, "Camp Half-Blood seems so... Happy."

"That's because we're trying to forget." Percy said bitterly, "I hope Octavian is tortured for eternity in the Fields of Punishment for what he's done." His expression grew angry, "If Nico hadn't shot him into that explosion I would have killed him myself." He looked at me, "And I wouldn't have regretted it for a second."

…

 **Yaaaay...**

 **Scary Percy + feels + plot**

 **IT'S SO GREAT**

 **Don't worry, it only gets worse from here**

 **YAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaY**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so I actually read Hammer of Thor and it was like the only reason I'm alive tbh**

 **Can y'all believe Alex Fierro saved 2016?**

 **But yeah Hammer of Thor and The Hidden Oracle spoilers from here on out**

 **Chapter Six**

 **This Iminate Death of Mine**

I must admit, considering the conversation I'd had with my cousin, her boyfriend and Sam, I slept like a rock. It was nice to collapse and _not_ dream, for once.

I awoke to the sound of things being rustled around in my room, and I almost thought it was Alex, or maybe TJ. Then I remembered: yesterday.

I moved from my bed to the atrium in the middle, where Annabeth and Percy had two of my practice swords out, going at each other like my fellow _einhergar_ , which was pretty impressive, tbh. They were sweating, and bloody in some places, and I was tempted to make a joke about whether this was foreplay, or not.

They looked over at me, and Annabeth grinned, "Must admit," she said, "I thought you might not wake up,"

Percy swung the sword in a circle, placing it over his shoulder with practiced skill, "Is it magic that makes this perfectly balanced?" he asked.

I shrugged, "I dunno, fam,"

Percy shrugged, setting the practice sword down, Annabeth following suit, "So," Percy said, "this palce is pretty much Elysium?"

I stared at him, "What?"

"Elysium is the afterlife for heroes, on our side of the map," he said, those green eyes seaming to swirl with the sea, "It's a pretty place, in all that bleakness,"

I hummed, "Well, I guess,"

Percy shrugged, seeming satisfied with that answer.

"You have an awesome room, by the way," Percy continued, "Like, this is bigger than my appartment,"

Guilt washed through me, again.

"I-"

Percy smiled, "It's okay, man. It's just cool,"

Holy _fuck_ he was handsome.

"Um... Yeah, man. Sure,"

…

Alex leaned against the wall, his- yes, his, today- multicoloured eyes glinting in the artificial sunlight. He was grinning.

"So," he said, "I take it I'm going to meat the infamous Annabeth?"

Where we stood, in my room, I was making a snack in my kitchenette. Alex had taken time out of throwing pots at me and others to chat. I didn't know what he wanted to chat about, but I'd figure it out.

"Probably," I said, "she and her campmates are trying to figure out how safe it would be to go back to Camp."

"Hm," he leaned over my shoulder, "what's cookin', mediocire lookin'?"

"Ha, ha," I responded, "And I'm making sandwiches,"

"Amazing," Alex put a hand to his no-longer-beating heart, "I am humbled by your incredible talents, Master Chef Magnus,"

I snickered, and felt the blood rush to my face as Alex put his head on my shoulder, "I- I do have a way with snacks, sir,"

Alex snickered, and I tried my best to ignore how his laugh made me happy, and how absolutely beautiful his geniuine smile was.

…

Nico di Angelo was a pleasure.

And by a pleasure, I mean, a complete downer.

Will Solace- his doctor, and boyfriend- assured me that talking about dark things casually was Nico's way of coping, and it was apparently his, too.

However, the son of Hades was very interested in the Norse afterlives, and how much I knew about them.

I didn't know much.

Nico seemed a bit discouraced, and questioned me if I'd ever met a kid with a jackel for a head. I hadn't.

"If you ever do," he said in that frighteningly strong Italian accent, "he's not a teenager, he just likes to look like that because he thinks it makes him attractive. Not the jackel head, but like, when he looks like a teenager,"

"I'll remember that," I said, and continued to nod and listen.

"So," he said, "that guy with the green hair?"

"Alex?" I asked, "Yeah, what about him?"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

I felt the blood rush to my face, "Okay, no. Alex isn't- Why would you ask that?"

Nico shrugged, "I don't know,"

I waited for a "but", but it didn't come.

"Magnus!" Percy was stomping towards me, Jack in toe. Jack was chattering, and I swore I could hear him singing _My Heart Will Go On_ , terribly out of tune. Percy stopped in front of me and said, "Your sword wants to fuck mine,"

Anyone else would have stared at Percy like he was nuts, but I looked at Jack- who was _definitely_ singing _My Heart Will Go On_ -, and crossed my arms.

"But _sen_ _õõr!"_ my sword complained, "She's so beautifu!"

"Maybe," Percy said, "but she's also inanimate, and a deadly enchanted weapon,"

I groaned, and Jack shuddered, "Oh, she is so beaituful!"

"Jack, please leave...?" I stared at Percy, who said: "Riptide,", and I continued, "Yes! Leave Riptide alone, please,"

Jack huffed, "Alright, _senõr_ , but only because you said please,"

Nico seemed to find this hilarious, as he had his hand over his mouth as he laughed. Percy stared at him, the son of Hades laughing harder at this, and I had to admit, it was kind of adorable. Like, Nico was adorable in the way that a puppy was- that it made me wat to give him a hug and made me smiley.

What a nerd.

…

 **Ok so short chappie but I just can't figure out how to go from here without a chapter break.**

 **Tbh Alex/Magnus is best ship**


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